Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the second longest floorless coaster in the world on June 1, 2000, with a track length measuring 4,177 feet (1,273 m).

A virtual reality experience was added to the ride, but due to technical difficulties and extensive wait times, the feature was permanently removed the following year.

[9] At the time of opening Kraken held the record for the tallest and longest roller coaster in the state of Florida.

[14] Later that summer, the virtual reality was permanently removed due to slow dispatches and excessive wait times.

[9] With a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), the ride was the fastest roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando until the opening of Mako in summer 2016.

At the top, the train crests the lift hill and follows a fairly level turn to the right before dropping 144 feet (44 m) towards the ground.

[21] Sentinel reporter Dewayne Bevil ranks the ride at number 7 in his Top 50 Orlando Theme Park Attractions list.

[24] In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, Jerry Dane of the Florida Coaster Club described the floorless experience like "you are hung out there open and free".

[25] In 2012, Kraken was featured on the Travel Channel TV series Insane Coaster Wars, and received first place in the public-voted "Wrong Way Up" category.

[27] In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Kraken was ranked in the top 50 steel roller coasters numerous times since its opening.

[30][31][32][33] Early reception to Kraken Unleashed was mixed, with theme park enthusiasts noting long dispatch times[34] as the main detractor.